Kela smiled, though Resa was a little timid to speak to the Wreae. As Unsilenced Retribution requested of Xej a meeting with Jorro'kil leaders, Kela realized her brother and the Wreae weren't just here to visit.

"It's been good to see you again, Xej." She said, holding out her hand for Resa to take. "Yes, you too." Said Xej.

"Come on Resa, it's time to go now." She said, starting to turn around and head where they were originally going.

"What is that big machine?" Resa asked once they were further away. "Well I believe it's a Wreae, they're one of our allies." Kela replied.

Xej stood looking reminiscent for a moment, before turning to the Wreae and answering. "Come on, we'll take the Transit system, a special tram I can get. It's back inside, upstairs." He said, turning to walk back into the building they had just come out of.

_______________________________________________I am smarter than the average smartest person - Darkel

I can multitasking - Prussian

I actually was busy trying to get more gonger ale - Prussian

Also...just because you rescued a male chick and called him Kevin, doesn't mean I care. - ViperaUnion

But in retaliation, I'm going to add all your typoes to my sig. - Prussian

It's not a horror game, it's more of a pussle - Prussian

Follow the Bloody Brick Road - Prussian

Shut your skittley little mouth - Darkel

I'm actually quite humble, I just love to mess with scurbs. - Canis_dirus

The Lieutenant looked to Lirr and nodded. "Good idea, Admiral. I suggest that everyone go into formation. Soon, the group was spread out around the machine in a circle, going around the pillars. The Yvinar machine stepped back to the middle and roared; A harsh, metallic sound intermixed with a deep horn-like sound that was slightly distorted. The machine whipped its head around, observing what these new arrivals had done and planning its next move.

The Yvinar was much faster than what its size and powerful build would have lead anyone to expect. Its first target was Theranis, who stood behind a pillar, his gun ready. In nearly an instant, the machine leapt and smashed its two fists to each side of the pillar, the floor able to withstand the powerful blow due to its material. As this happened, small lightning bolts crackled as electricity coursed down from the upper body to the hands. The metallic floor was able to conduct electricity, and thus it traveled down from the robotic hands to the ground, electrifying the area around Theranis. He had barely had time to shoot before this occurred, and his gun dropped to the ground at the shock, though his armor's shielding was able to mitigate biological damage. The mech then raised its left arm and used the right fist to smash the Sentinel, sending him flying through the air into a wall. The environmental response armor helped to absorb some of the shock from the impact, but it was dazing nonetheless - His back hit the wall first, the armor shifting to prevent damage to its user. His arms and legs were splayed as he hit the stone wall, becoming limp as he hit the floor. His head had also been bowed down, the helmet not showing whether he was alive or not. However, the armoring shifted down, revealing that the Sentinel's eyes were wide open and he gasped for breath, clearly injured. He attempted to get up, his arms shaking, but clutched his side in agonizing pain and dropped back down to the floor. The Yvinar approached, metallic snarls emitting from its mouth. It raised its enormous, shining hands, about the finish off the Sentinel, when plasma burst upon the side of its face.

The machine turned and growled, its hands dropping to the floor in a crouch as the Wreae Lieutenant, keeping its arm steady, unloaded the plasma battery of its heavy pistol into the machine's head, attempting to destroy the energy shields. Roaring once more as it reached the center of the room, the machine raised its left arm and attempted to crush the Wreae in a swift, diagonal, sweeping blow. As it enacted this, however, the nimble Wreae was able to outmaneuver the strike, dodging the blow and continued to blast the machine.

"This unit does not seem to have penetrable shields," The Wreae noted as the Yvinar plotted its next move, noting the Wreae's agility. "If hacked, we might be able to disable it."

The Sentinel, coughing small amounts of blood, looked over to his side at Q'ren, who crouched behind a pillar, SMG ready. "Any ideas, Krallik?" He swore, the Krathunian's voice raspy. Q'ren activated a holographic display on his armor's gaunlet, appearing to be working quickly.

"This may take a while." Q'ren growled, looking up at the enormous robot they faced. "I can hack into it, but you need to distract it. Somebody tend to the Sentinel, looks like he's a bit scratched up." He grinned, poking fun at the younger Krathunian. The Wreae continued to dodge blows from the Yvinar, while Rakluth, jets activated, flew above, smashing his hammer down at the mech. The energy shielding crackled and glowed blue from each impact from the hammer, not willing to give way.

Svar looked up at the sound of the announcement, then back to the energy being. "It's nice to meet you, Ambigon. I would ask a couple questions about yourself, but I'm afraid I must leave." His eyes then traveled to Isbar. "You coming, or staying?"

Soon everyone who wanted to take part was gathered. Mott was there, but only to see them off, as he put it. Aarin and Allé were there, both armed with a sword; Allé had also brought two cylinders, data storage units about a foot long, strapped to the sides of his pack. Tevri was there, having reinforced his usual footwear with some Markovan foot greaves, complete with bladed toes. Jessic had his usual armor, but he only sign of what might be a weapon was the cylinder attached to his belt. Isbar was also there.

"Coming along," Aarin asked Tevri cheerfully.

Tevri nodded. He seemed a little nervous.

Aarin gave him a hearty shoulder slap. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Tevri gave a small smile.______________________________________

"Go to the Sentinel, Teg," Zizo called. From behind a pillar, he let loose at the machine with his disintegrater. "Eat my fury, Tin Head!" he whooped.

Sobbing with fear, Teglin scurried to the Sentinel, and fumbled in his bag for any medical supplies.

Taking advantage of the distraction caused by Zizo's attack, Lirr sprang up one of the machine's limbs and onto the behemoth's shoulders, where he began striking at the back of its head. "Up here," he yelled at it. Then, as it moved to strike him, he jumped away, intending for it to strike itself.

The monstrous machine seemed the grow infuriated as Zizo blasted the machine near the chest area, forcing its fist through the pillar to force him out of cover. It opened its mechanical, enormous hand over Zizo as the pillar crumbled, electricity surging forward when Lirr attacked. The Yvinar identified the Markovan as a greater threat at the moment.

Raising its hand, it was about to strike Lirr when he jumped off. It's claw grazed the side of its head near the crest, bypassing the shielding, and dented the metal a bit. It roared, seeing Lirr escaping, it slammed its arms on the floor behind the Markovan and activated the electrical weapon in its body, electricity powering forward through the floor towards the Admiral.

Meanwhile, Theranis grunted a quick thanks to Teglin and looked within the pack. Seeing a syringe labelled as a pain killer, he grabbed it clumsily. The Sentinel's armor shifted to the side on his upper arm, revealing the Krathunians natural plating. Planting the medicinal tool in a gap between the plates where a vein could be seen, he injected the painkiller. After a couple seconds, the armor shifted back and Theranis relaxed, feeling the effects of the medicine. He looked at a holographic display from his gauntlet and sighed. "It seems I've broken two ribs." He acknowledged, clutching his side.

Q'ren worked quickly, having great knowledge of Krathunian AI of the past. "Just a bit more!" He shouted, looking up from his display. Meanwhile, Rakluth continued to try to find a gap in the shielding, the Yvinar unable to catch him in the air. The Wreae continued to shoot from behind a pillar, attempting to break the shields as well.

_________________________________________________________

Svar stood next to Isbar, equipped eith his armor and weapon systems. Though he was curious to find what awaited them on the outpost, he was also anxious to get back to the engine room and find out more about the enigmatic Ambigon.

It seemed that among the Chimerosu representatives, only Travis and Blair were coming along. Ravage soon arrived, her Spiromander Xenos following close behind. Last to arrive was Samir and Arrow, who wouldn't miss studying his heritage for anything. The only one nobody expected to have coming along was Cadet Lucas, who Ravage had chosen from her squadron to accompany them on the mission. He was so excited that Ravage glanced at him worriedly on multiple occasions, clearly fearing he might faint if he didn't calm down. Travis looked around at the assembled group, "Good, everyone's here. Alright, it might be a bit cramped on the Jewel, seeing as we've got a few more people on it than last time, as well as two animals, one of which happens to be rather large. This is how it's going to work, people first, animals come after, they'll lay down in the aisle, should be comfortable enough, so long as they behave themselves and don't stand up, but so far, I don't think we've got any reason to worry." With this, Travis went in first, getting ready to pilot the small ship from its cockpit. Everyone piled in afterwards, and Xenos and Arrow entered and filled the aisle. Arrow didn't take up much space, but Xenos' great bulk took up all available space, making it impossible for anyone to get out of their seats.

"Seriously, when and how did you tame a Spiromander, and why do we have to bring him with us?" Samir asked Ravage, who was sitting directly across from him, speaking over Xenos' head, which was lying down on the floor.

"But he's a Spiromander! He's a wild animal and also an ultimate predator, there is a huge difference between him and my Arrow." He continued to argue. Was he actively attempting to anger Ravage, or was he really just so oblivious to her temper and her limits? She had already claimed that he tried too hard to take command when she didn't want or even need it.

Ravage flicked her tail, "He has proper manners, and he obeys the commands I give him. If you have a problem with it, you may argue about it later, nobody so far has complained, nor do they have a good reason to do so." She said, effectively dismissing Samir's complaint, and removing any sort of grounds he had for making one.

Travis, focused on getting to the outpost itself, ignored the entire debate, and got the ship ready to take off. He made sure everyone was seated, before the airlock sealed, and then allowed them to leave the larger cruiser. They piloted away, and as they approached the dark fortress of the outpost, a signal was sent out to the ancient structure, activating its airlock. It opened, and allowed them inside, closing and sealing, despite it's age. Everything still functioned in this outpost, it seemed. The entire trip took very little time, and soon everyone was leaving the tiny landing ship, stretching out from the discomfort.

"Alright, this is the outpost, keep in mind that this place isn't exposed to the same things as most planets. The tech is old, but the thing looks like it's still working as it should." Travis said, stepping out behind everyone else. "Alright, let's get out of this airlock so we can explore the actual facility." He turned to Ravage, "You said you knew how these things worked?"

Ravage nodded, "Yes, there's no need to hack the system." She walked over to the door and looked around, before a panel was found on the wall, inscribed with Krylonian text. She poised her talons over it, and carefully tapped in a long code, activating the door. It slid open, allowing them into the white-metal hallways of the pristine outpost. "And, that's that." Ravage said.

Xej walked over to an elevator, tapped the button for it to come down, and stepped on along with Unsilenced Retribution. The elevator was fairly large, made for Jorro'kil height, though it still felt a little claustrophobic with the size of the Wreae. Xej punched the button to take them to an upper level, and in a few moments they arrived at the Transit level. There were quite a few people over at the tram recieving station, waiting for the tram, so few of them noticed Unsilenced Retribution and the Zealot behind them. Through a thick wall of glass on one end of the room, other civilians could be made out, boarding the Transit or getting off, as several stations were lined up together.

Xej walked up to a desk where a a Transit official sat. "Sir." He said to Therus. "How may I help you?"

"I need a special tram, for executives. Have it come after the next tram leaves, please."

The official noticed the special white suit which indicated a high rank belonging to the Jorro'kil, as civilians and military Jorro'kil alike wear suits or outfits which indicate their rank or job, when in a Jorro'kil city or colony.

"Yes Sir, I'll have it notified right away." The official got up out of his seat to go send for the executive's tram, and after the next civilian one came and took most of the croud that had been standing there away, a special tram outlined with black arrived, and the doors slid open. Xej walked inside, and motioned for the Wreae to follow.Two Jorro'kil soldiers stood at either end of the tram, standard security. They were equipped with plasmetic SMGs, new weapons aided in their creation by the Krathunians. "Sirs, welcome aboard." They said, emotionlessly.

Xej took a seat on the left side of the tram which faced the station they had boarded at. As the doors slid closed and the tram began to move, civilians at other stations noticed the special black outlines on the Transitvehicle, and a few even saluted. "What's our destination?" Asked the driver. "The Resolute Complex." He replied.

The Resolute complex was a collection of military buildings accessible to the Transit only by executive trams, and where many high-ranking military officials resided or worked, including the High Councils. The Resolute Complex was given its nickname because it was the building where the two Jorro'kil political parties joined together as one several thousand years ago after the Global War on Irooscin, and this resulted in the creation of the High Councils and the one, major political party, where they continue to stand Resolute. This is also quite remarkable in the achievements of the Jorro'kil, that both political parties were able to unite under one, strong belief that a government which does not restrict or limit common and helpful freedoms but can rule with a strong hand will be the most successful, and it is also remarkable that this is widely agreed and accepted by most all Jorro'kil, yet differing opinons are not denied freedom of expression, even such as certain undesirable viewpoints gained from the early days of the spacefaring Jorro'kil Empire, mainly the Purists, though this is generally understand by any Jorro'kil who has read of their own history, and the glory days of conquering, though sections of their beliefs are frowned upon.

_______________________________________________I am smarter than the average smartest person - Darkel

I can multitasking - Prussian

I actually was busy trying to get more gonger ale - Prussian

Also...just because you rescued a male chick and called him Kevin, doesn't mean I care. - ViperaUnion

But in retaliation, I'm going to add all your typoes to my sig. - Prussian

It's not a horror game, it's more of a pussle - Prussian

Follow the Bloody Brick Road - Prussian

Shut your skittley little mouth - Darkel

I'm actually quite humble, I just love to mess with scurbs. - Canis_dirus

As the shockwave of electricity hit Lirr, he fell his legs numbed and stunned by the shock. He reached for his handgun, although he knew there was little it could do against the behemoth. Suddenly, Zizo dashed around. His species was a naturally fast one, adapted for running. And running he was, round in circle. Stopping for a moment, he aimed his disintegrator, and shot the machine in one of the joints of its right front limb. "Over here, ya bucket o' bolts!" he yelled at it. He quickly began running again; one would have almost thought he was enjoying the whole thing.__________________________________________

"I must say," commented Allé, "the machinery has held up pretty well."

"No need for anyone but me to go," said General Tissin. "Everyone else stay here until I get back." Taking a device containing the recording of the transmission and their conversation with the mysterious voice of the Collective, he hurried off the ship.

Kalfu pondered on what it had just heard. Even though the Deceiver sounded deceptively like the AI’s itself, its words carried a massive emotional load. This troubled Kalfu for a bit, but it decided it was not a reason to turn down the offer. Kalfu responded to Deceiver with a considered amount of satisfaction in its voice: “In that case alliance with us should turn out quite satisfactory for you. We have been locked in a war with the Confederacy for ten years, but just recently we started the grand offensive to end this once and for all. We should meet and exchange information to best coordinate our actions.”

"Yes, we should hurry up and get this over with." Travis said, before looking at Ravage, "You're familiar with the design of these facilities, lead the way." He said. Ravage flicked her tail, and nodded, leading them down the hallway. The first thing that became evident was, despite the wonderful condition of the facility overall, there was a lot of dust, clouds coming up off the ground as everyone disturbed it with faint drafts created by their movements. As they went on, Cadet Lucas and Travis, having pure white feathers, found their legs taking on a grey-brown color, as the dust settled on them. Someone less adapted to dealing with an environment where they might breathe in particles might be heavily tempted to sneeze. The Chimerosu, overall, seemed fine, their beaks made to minimize the chance of breathing in such things, and also because they were used to cleaning up their own feather-down, small particles of keratin that came from the fringes of their feathers, the reason they did not molt. As they proceeded down the corridor, they came to another door, which was hexagon-shaped, and automatically opened upon their approach, the machinery seeing them as authorized. This revealed a room that, while equally covered with dust, was filled with ancient computers and other technology. Although a few computers and machines blinked and buzzed, most were dormant, and those that were not had fans loudly spinning as they tried to cool down the devices, which was perhaps hindered because they were choked with the ever-present dust.

On one side of the room there was a gigantic screen, functioning, but so old that there was much static on the image it was displaying. It flickered to various scenes that must have been in the current solar-system. There was the Majesty, then a cluster of meteorites. The images were painfully fuzzy, though, to the point that it was difficult to even tell what it was watching. There must have been probes floating around, somewhere, for it to get the video feed. In the lower right-hand corner of the screen, there was a blinking red icon that flashed urgently, indicating that the computer had lost its connection to the network of other outposts. Everyone would know that that was because it was searching for something on Krylon, and therefore the main unit that linked all the outposts together was gone. This main central computer was to be their main focus. Corey walked over to it, and examined the main controls, frowning, "I cannot read this, it's Krylonian, and our current written language has grown apart from these, it's similar, but, I have no idea what each symbol means." He said, meaning the strange, spiraling symbols that generally seemed to make up all Chimerosu writing. It looked very similar to the writing the UCN currently used, but it was also painfully different, to the point that it became even more confusing to read than if Corey had been looking at a language with no ties to his own.

Ravage flicked her tail, "Well, that would explain why I've been feeling so illiterate, lately. I can't read any of the signs or buttons on the Majesty, so now we're even." She told the Cavernian scientist, before walking over to the computer, and then brushing off the keypad. She had to clap her hands together to get the dust off of them, "Doesn't matter how well-sealed this place was, dust settled down ages ago, lets get the information and go." She then tapped something out on the controls, a small window appearing on the screen, displaying scrawling Krylonian as she opened files. She then pressed on a button, and scanned a series of files. She then organized a few of the files, and then put them all in one large file. "Okay, those data storage units, put them in the port unit, and then we'll just download them. I can translate this information, it's documents on at least one former Chimerosu colony, and it's not any of the worlds I think you've explored, yet. Still, not a lot of people are made to breathe this stuff, it's a health hazard if we stay here to translate, we will do it back on the Majesty where people will feel comfortable breathing. I wish we'd thought to bring dust masks."

The Yvinar's attention was grabbed by the shot that Zizo had fired and the machine decided to attempt to grab him. It's left hand followed Zizo, scraping the metallic floor in a harsh grating sound. Electrical currents flowed from the center of its chest and gathering up near its hand. As soon as it got close enough to Zizo, it would create a shockwave and stop his running before smashing him down.

However, as soon as the Yvinar was at the correct range to activate this weapon, Q'ren was able to hack into the shields and deactivate them. The blue white shield was visible for a fraction of a second before a deafening cracking sound was heard, and the shield was destroyed. The Yvinar howled, flinching. Rakluth got in the first hit, his hammer impacting the back of the Yvinar and the metal smashing inwards. This disrupted the electricity weapons of the Yvinar and the mech glowed with energy, all of the electricity stored in the device releasing outwards. One of the stray bolts of lightning struck Rakluth, bypassing the shielding and surging throughout his armor. One of the jets the Admiral used to fly caught fire and he came crashing down to the floor, rolling onto his back and facing towards the Yvinar. The machine lumbered over, clearly damaged. As soon as it got close enough, however, Rakluth activated the weapon orb stored in his armor. This dropped into his hand, forming into a close range rifle, and the Admiral blasted the mech repeatedly, aiming the rifle from the bottom of the chest area up to the neck.

While this happened the Wreae had been able to jump up on the pillar that had collapsed from the machine's attempt to stop Zizo, the robot moving nimbly. It then proceeded to unload the contents of the pistol's plasma battery into the back of the Yvinar. Meanwhile, Q'ren had sprinted to Theranis, looking through the medical pack that Teglin had for anything that could help the now shattered ribs of the Sentinel.

"Agreed. Meet us at the Ulivus system." The Deceiver spoke, at the same time transmitting a binary code containing the coordinates of the system. "We await your arrival." The signal then cut off completely, replaced by static. The Deceiver was then contacted by the two others that had been transmitting signals related to the Vrentus.

"What have you accomplished, Deceiver?" The Destroyer spoke, its voice thundering with power, now more clear than it had been over the radio.

"The machines are on our side. With the Collective's traits, we now have enormous fleets to take advantage of. The United Fleets of Independent Artificial Intelligences does not know of our... ability." The Deceiver responded, its voice still distorted due to its nature. "What about you, my kin?"

"The bait has been taken. This Markovan Empire seems to be aligned with the Confederacy. I believe they have gone to warn them of our presence." The Destroyer then seemed to laugh, with a tone that seemed to imply that the action had little meaning to it. "They are playing right into our trap."

"And what of you, Protector?" The Deceiver spoke once more.

"I attracted the attention of a couple Krathunians. They were killed with no resistance." The Protector's thousand voices seemed to pause. "They have changed. They have expanded and collided with new species. Their technology has degraded. Their false honor has not faded."

"The Vrentus Collective shall rise once more in this time of strife and weakness." The Deceiver stated.

Unsilenced Retribution already knew much about the Resolute Complex, having information on nearly all known empires within its memory drives. The Wreae looked to Xej, having sat across from the Jorro'kil Zealot on the tram. "The Resolute Complex... We don't have much time, Xej. How long do you think it will take before the officials grant us a meeting?"

((Whoster, you should respond to tonysaur's posts about General Tissin if you're not already writing it out.))

"Hopefully, it won't take too long, considering who we are." He said. "I should be able obtain a meeting time soon once we arrive."

The city passed by quickly as the tram traveled towards its destination, with many buildings and occasionally planted trees visible passing by through the tram's windows.

"We'll be coming up to the Resolute Complex soon." The Driver said. The windows turned to show a dark tunnel as they passed inside to a protected tram station. The doors opened to reveal the tram station, this one composed mostly of a black metal, the room lit with yellow-orange lights spread throughout it. Two soldiers stood at a security checkpoint, as did a soldier at a desk. Xej walked up to the checkpoint and removed his boots, setting them in a container on a small conveyor belt which quickly moved them through to the other side of the checkpoint. Xej was cleared to go through. As the Wreae approached, one of the soldiers told him to go through and take the next checkpoint which used a digital scan to root out possible viruses or recording devices.

"So do I," said Allé, sneezing. He grabbed a data storage unit from his pack and went to the outlet. "This outlet isn't quite compatible with this unit, but I think I can compensate." After making a few adjustments, he inserted the unit into the outlet. "All right, we're locked and loaded."________________________________________

Zizo lost no time in adding his firepower to that of Rakluth and the Wreae. He aimed mainly for the head, hoping to take out the eyes while he was doing so. Lirr also fired at the mech with his handgun.

Teglin fumbled in the bag, before finding a temporary thoracic brace. He looked at Theranis. "Blast it, I think it's too small for him," he said.________________________________________

General Tissin hastily displayed his sword hilt first, before quickly sheathing it. "Forgive my haste," he said to the Jorro'kil meeting him, "but I have an urgent warning for the Confederacy."

Ravage tapped a button, and the computer scrawled through more Krylonian, a loading bar filling up, stalling for a few seconds, and then finishing the download. The computer had hardly any trouble at all putting the information on the storage unit, it had more than enough room for the files it was inputting, in fact enough where it by far surpassed the computer's own memory space. It was enough by the standards it had been built on to store the information on a Krylonian database twice-over. By most standards, the supercomputer was a dinosaur, after all, if not a microbe from the beginning of a young planet that supported life, it was so old. Ravage nodded, and closed down the files, letting the computer continue to watch the star system through its ancient eyes. She turned over to Allé, "Alright, we can disconnect it, now. Let's get out of here," She said. As soon as the device was disconnected, everyone was glad to hurry out. They soon piled back onto their small landing ship, and hurried to get back to the Majesty so they could decode the information. Once on the ship, everyone came to the main control room of the ship, where they would translate the information.

Once they could breathe again, no longer choked by dust, Corey went over to a computer that was separate from the Majesty in regards to systematic connections. "Alright, we put the data storage device into this, and load on the information so we can start reading it, won't take any time at all, considering we have two literate Krylonians right here with us." He said._________________________________

Somewhere, in the dark fifth arm of the galaxy, an egg, abandoned by the mother that laid it, and carried far away from the nest where it was originally intended to hatch, was beginning to split open. The egg was a large oval, with an unnatural black sliver going through its shell, which was leathery and soft. The shell ripped open, as a gleaming black horn, slick with its own shine and the fluids of the egg, broke through. By natural standards, this horn was supposed to be smooth and have a sweeping curve, but it did no such thing. It was jagged and warped in shape, covered in bulges, and yellow at the tip. More horns emerged, the beginnings of a face, the face of a creature like a beetle, three sets of horns, and one on the nose, the top set of horns curved into a deformed yellowed crown-like piece. Gleaming yellow eyes, cold and heartless, saw the abandoned moon that it had been left on. Two sets of wings flared out on the insect's back, yellowish and ragged, as it inched out of the egg, its black shell gleaming by the light of a blazing white star. Ragged mandibles parted, and behind them, a mouth with what seemed like sharp teeth parted, giving way to a malicious hiss, for this moon had a very weak atmosphere that would carry the sound.

The Tyrant had been born, and he would destroy anything in his path. His one goal was simple, for he was both a Commander and a Monarch, a twisted fusion of the two strongest Arachnarche castes. He would break into the nest formed by his mother's swarm, and then he would kill her. He would smash all of her eggs, to destroy the swarm, and make room for a new one. He would use his pheromones to attract a new female, and then, he would have a mate, and be the father of a new, more powerful swarm, one that would be so malicious that it would never show mercy to anything. Arachnarche would rule the galaxy, and all of this, was knowledge from instinct.

The Yvinar staggered, growing more and more damaged by the second. The blasts from Rakluth's laser rifle impacted the machine first, incinerating the frontal armor of the robotic beast. It roared, clawing closer to the Krathunian in an attempt to crush him, but the Wreae's plasma bolts caught it's attention. The pistol shots pierced the AI core of the Yvinar, distorting its thought process. It turned and dashed recklessly towards the pillar, trying to catch the Lieutenant off guard. Instead, the Wreae jumped off the structure and onto the ground, the the Yvinar smashed head first into the pillar, dazing it.

This is when the shots from Zizo's disintegration gun hit the side of the Yvinar's head, breaching the final layers of armor before the AI core within the head. It whipped its body around, screeching, and charged towards Zizo on all fours. However, Lirr's handgun shots went within the area that Zizo had destroyed, ripping apart several sections of the AI core. The machine suddenly stopped and fell to the ground, completely disabled.

Rakluth got up, brushing the dust and debris from the fight off of his armor. "Everyone OK?" He looked to the Sentinel and shook his head. "Besides you, sir."

Theranis clumsily looked up at the Admiral, managing a lazy smile. "I'll be fine. In fact..." He turned on the holographic display showing his armor's layout, and adjusted the shape of the chest armor to form a makeshift brace to immobilize the injury. After several seconds, he used his sword to slowly stand up, wincing in pain. "This should work, for now."

Unsilenced Retribution nodded and went to the next checkpoint for the digital scan. The scan wouldn't have yielded much besides the presence of the altered AI technology. The fact that the Wreae was subject to the Overcharge protocol did not show up on the display for the scanning device. Instead, notification of the Wreae's presence was transmitted directly higher up officials. When it was done, he turned to Xej. "I'm not familiar with the layout of this facility, of course. Where to next?"

Svar watched silently as this process went on, having used his helmet to breathe on the outpost (Krathunians have a relatively weak immune system due to the rather sterile conditions of Sethega - As a result, they are subject to many illnesses). He didn't quite understand the language of the Krylonians, though he had been able to translate the UCN language. He didn't try to decode this new tongu, seeing as Ravage and Samir were native users of it.

Allé inserted the data unit into the computer and the download began. Jessic, who was salivating more than usual, asked to be excused. Tevri also was experiencing a similar reaction to the dust from the base, but his reaction was less severe, and he wanted to see what the data yielded._____________________________

"I think Admiral Lirr might need some assistance here," said Zizo.

"I'm all right," said Lirr, staggering upright. "My legs are a bit numb from the electro-shock, but the feelings starting to come back. I think I can walk now. The spandex probably took away the worst of the shock."

The same Krylonian text popped up from earlier, and was displayed on the computer monitor Corey had set up. Ravage and Samir walked over to look at it, "Alright, I can read this, but the wording is..." Samir drifted off, and waved his hand in the air, grasping for something.

Ravage looked over at him, "It's coordinates, it seems you have yet to learn how to fly a spaceship or navigate using them. I thought I told you learning such things would be useful." There was something almost scornful about her words, as though she were heavily disappointed by the fact that Samir didn't understand what they were for. It was already known among the cadets on the Majesty that Ravage set very high standards and expectations for her squadron, word got out about her personality as soon as she had taken over the Third Squadron, and it immediately became clear that they did not want to disappoint her. Having lived with Samir on the Stealth Strider for five years, chances were that Ravage demanded of him that he learn useful skills, so that she wasn't dragging around dead weight. She may have suggested learning how to fly and navigate through space to him at some point, that seemed to be what she was implying, and he hadn't followed her advice, probably because Samir liked to take the lead, even when he didn't have any sort of good reason to be in charge. Regardless of the story behind it all, Samir's inability to understand such a crucial skill to a person in space narrowed the number of people who could read the Krylonian information down from two to one.

She looked at the coordinates, and told them to Corey, who wrote them down in UCN print, which would be more readily used. She then looked at more information, "Alright, the planet we're looking for is the third one orbiting in the Solemna system, and the star Solemna is a yellow sun. The colony on the planet Silex, declared independence. Here's some more, planet's primarily salt water, land is small, scattered islands with rocky shores and high cliff-sides. Sea stacks, too, good places to land a small ship, not really good for creatures that can't fly or swim." Ravage folded her arms, and looked over at Corey, "Did you get all of that?" She asked. Corey nodded, and she turned to the others, "I don't think I need to worry much, I learned how to swim at a young age. Now, not saying we have to get wet, but chances are you might not want to go if you didn't learn how, because lots of water means more risk of drowning."

Xej finished putting his boots back on, and after the Wreae had passed through the assigned checkpoint, walked past it and towards a door, next to the door was a panel with two arrows on it, one pointing up, and the other down. He pressed the one pointing up, and soon arrived an elevator which he and Unsilenced Retribution stepped on, this one being slightly larger than the one in the civilian building.

"We'll arrive in the interior plaza in the main building." Xej said. "From there we'll go towards the Executive Offices, a collection of buildings where most of the higher-ranking individuals work.

The elevator rose higher and eventually was brought to a stop. The elevator, inside, was made of the same dark metal as most of the tram station the pair had just come from, with a white light at the top illuminating it. However, when the door to the lift opened, a superior light filled it, the sun lightening it and the whole of the plaza infront of them. The plaza was X-shaped as a whole, with large corridors crossing to form it. Large windows composed the upper portion of the walls, allowing the sunlight to flow through. Beams close to the ceiling stood inactive, a light source for when it was needed at nighttime, though usually the plaza was closed at night.

In the center of it stood a statue of a Jorro'kil Warrior, dressed in the ancient robes which only the most experienced warriors were allowed to wear, in the old times. Infront of it, a plaque was attached to the base, which read: "For times past, for now, for ever, We are Resolute."

The floor was composed of marble, with waves of various stone-like colors. A few Jorro'kil soldiers passed by them, walking down the corridors. Most of them were UCU, or Urban Combat Units.

Xej gazed up at the statue for a moment, then turned his attention to the uppermost corridor on their left. "This way." He said, walking from the central X of the plaza down the large hallway.

"Yes, of course." Said the Jorro'kil Trooper which lead the squad sent to meet the Markovan. "You'll be allowed to keep your sword, though we ask that you hand over any other weapons you may be carrying, if indeed you are carrying weapons, this is simply standard protocol." He said. A soldier held up a box with an electromagnetic field inside, meant for carrying and effectively neutralizing weaponry.

"You will be taken to the bridge to meet with the Commander." The Trooper said.

_______________________________________________I am smarter than the average smartest person - Darkel

I can multitasking - Prussian

I actually was busy trying to get more gonger ale - Prussian

Also...just because you rescued a male chick and called him Kevin, doesn't mean I care. - ViperaUnion

But in retaliation, I'm going to add all your typoes to my sig. - Prussian

It's not a horror game, it's more of a pussle - Prussian

Follow the Bloody Brick Road - Prussian

Shut your skittley little mouth - Darkel

I'm actually quite humble, I just love to mess with scurbs. - Canis_dirus

Svar looked around at the others before speaking. "Krathunians aren't exactly meant to swim, most of the water on Sethega is frozen over. I'll pass on this one, I don't want to slow any of you down." With that, the engineer exited, heading back towards the engine room to speak with Ambigon.

The Wreae nodded and followed Xej, quickly observing the room. It noted several things of importance, saving the layout of the room within its memory drives for future analysis and use, should it need it.

Q'ren stood up. "Good. Now then, let's continue." He led the group to the opposite end of the room, to a wall. Indents on the wall glowed in the shape of a door, and intricate lighting with this design were spread throughout the wall. Q'ren held his armored gauntlet on the metal surface of the wall, activating a mechanism in the structure.

Theranis hobbled over, using his sword as a cane, with a confused look on his face. "Did that just say you're..."

Q'ren looked back - From Theranis' point of view, the other Krathunian stood out against the pitch black ahead. "Yes, Ra'agus. I'm a Sentinel. I was a commanding officer within the military during the R'lek War and the ensuring rebellion..." The elder's voice trailed off, recalling earlier parts of his life. "It's not that big of a deal."

Rakluth had taken a different route - Though he was surprised he saluted ,his superior before speaking. "Anyhow, let's go."

((Still thinking about how to approach this part, will post when I figure it out.))

"Shall the plan go into action, my kin?" The Destroyer spoke, communicating with its peers.

"Yes. This is an interesting time for the Collective." The Protector's voices sounded, reverberating. "We have not seen the birth of a Supreme since the uprising."

"Let us begin." Stated the Deceiver.

The three Vrentus Primes - The Destroyer, the Deceiver, and the Protector. Each commanded a section of their Collective, ruling with no resistance. Each Vrentus controlled world is an autonomous entity, nations under the control of the Primes. These beings are all connected, deciding the fate of their empire. However, there is one other being that can retain control over the Primes. The Vrentus Supreme.

On one of the worlds the Protector controlled, the industrial mechanisms of the planet started up. The Vrentus Collective would rise again, under a new leader.

Ravage glanced at the coordinates again, "From our current location? Not very far, but it takes us deeper into the fifth arm where the original empire was. Chances are, if the colony of Silex survived, there's going to be something wild out of it all, because it looks like this one declared independence earlier than everyone else, and intentionally severed all ties to the original Empire. Sounds like some pretty bold colonists, if you ask me. Everyone else got separated unintentionally, but these guys wanted to be pushed to their limits." She flicked her tail, and turned to Travis, "Go ahead and set the course, let's not waste any time," She said, picking up the paper with the information on it, and handing it to him. He simply looked at it, "Uh, yes, Ma'am, right away." He said, before turning and walking off to give the order. More and more, it seemed that Ravage became increasingly important for the mission to succeed, she was the only one who could read the needed information about the location of colonies, and secondly, almost everything she did was professional.

Samir winced, "I, uh, never bothered to learn how to swim..." He said. He then slowly slunk away, as though ashamed. It was enough to clearly cement how easily he could have annoyed the Krylonian female. If he had no useful skills, that would mean Ravage was the one doing all the work, and having to take care of an able-bodied adult would anger anyone. What was that man's story, for him to be the person he was? People watched him leave, before turning back to the conversation.

Blair stepped up, "Cavernians aren't often seen as good swimmers, being a subterranean race, and all. But we be better swimmers than people give us credit for, there be plenty of underground lakes for us to practice in. Salt, though, be new to me." He said. It was clear he was planning on going, there was a steely glint to his eye, as though he were determined to prove that his people were capable swimmers. It seemed that each race in the UCN had a certain kind of stereotype for the other races, and it became more apparent all the time, though plenty of deviants were seen every day on the ship.

Ravage flicked her tail, and nodded, tilting her head to one side, "I wouldn't expect you to back down from anything, Blair, you're not the sort of man to give up easily on anything. Whatever misconceptions people have about you, they find out pretty fast you aren't the average sort." It seemed to be a compliment, and there may have been the faintest of a blush to the Cavernian's beak, but if so, he hid his embarrassment well, and the brownish coloration of it would hide most of the color change. Ravage, though, had a slight smile on her face, her sharp eyes detecting the slight reddening of the skin, as though she had intentionally meant for that effect. Anyone else would probably wonder what was going on between the two. Whatever the reason, the Cavernian wordlessly nodded, and walked away to prepare. His mind was trying to figure something out, and the answer was not giving itself away as he wanted it to.

Cadet Lucas jumped up, "Oh! Can I go?" He said, twitching with child-like excitement, before stopping himself, and straightening, "Uh, I mean, Lieutanant Colonel, may I have permission to accompany you on this mission?" He said, immediately changing to a more official tone. Ravage looked at Lucas, and then the cadet grew nervous, and began to babble a little bit, "Well, I, uh, know how to swim, my dad was a seaweed gatherer, he brought me with him on all his trips, it's a really dangerous job, and you have to fight really strong currents, because that's where natural breaks in the ice is..." He drifted off. How a simple look could do such a thing to someone was beyond most people, unless Ravage simply had that much authority over her cadets. Maybe people didn't want to wind up like Grove or Snow, who had been charged with cleaning the training pad while everyone was gone.

Ravage suddenly had an amused glimmer in her eyes, "Permission granted, and tell those two other comrades of yours, Cadets Watson and Lloyd, that they may come as well. You three have my attention, and mark my words, your attention to detail isn't going unrewarded. You three put the most work into your uniforms and in your practice, don't think I didn't notice. You have the makings of fine officers, so I think you're up to this challenge. Go get them and bring them back here." She told him, and as soon as he was let off of his leash, Lucas dashed off to the cadet's quarters to tell Lloyd and Watson the good news.

________________________________________

Upon Svar's arrival, Ambigon appeared in a flash of light, hovering in front of him. "So you have returned from the outpost," The energy being said, "I suspect you are not here to discuss what you have found."

Aarin, Allé and Tevri went off to prepare. "I wonder what the deal was between Ravage and Blair?" he wondered aloud.

Aarin smiled knowingly. "Indeed."

Allé cast a glance at him. "What are you smirking about?"

"Nothing," said Aarin. "I'm sure someone else will figure it out sooner or later."

"Do you think Mister Gatiir will be accompanying us?" asked Tevri.

"Who, Mott?" said Allé with a laugh. "The only body of water he would willingly submerge himself in is a bathtub. You should have seen him on that cruise the one time. Besides, he says he's busy working on something."

"What is he working on?" asked Aarin.

"From what I've seen, it looks like some sort of handgun." Allé paused. "I wonder if he's making that weapon he showed me and Corey?"

The three passed an restroom as he said this. After they passed, the door opened, and Jessic came out. He found the restroom on the way to his quarters, and had decided to clean his mouth there. He had been by the door as Allé passed by, and heard what he said. He made up his mind to remember this bit of information; it might be useful later.

Aftewards, the Trooper led General Tissin through the ship and eventually they arrived at the bridge. The room was a dark grey, with blue lights scattered throughout it. A walkway led to the front viewscreen, a rectangular '"window," protected by an invisible shielding, the glass itself being specially crafted to resist enemy attacks and forces in space even if the shield were to go down. Beside the walkway was a lower level, seperated from the walkway by a ramp on either side. On this lower level crewmen sat in their own chairs infront of holographic screens, carrying out the commands for the basic functions of the ship, checking for new reports, etc..Down the middle of the walkway, several feet away from the front viewscreen was a large chair. In it sat the Commander of the ship.

The automatic door to the bridge closed after it opened to allow the Trooper and General Tissin in, and the Commander sat up from his chair to greet the Markovan.

"Hello, I am Iel Kae-En, Ship Commander." He said. He briefly dipped his beak as a sort of handshake.

"What have you come to discuss?" He asked. _______________________________________________________________________________________________

Xerin chose not to accompany the others on their trip to the outpost to find the coordinates for a new Chimerosu world, but remained on the Majesty. He tinkered on his armor for a little while, then returned to his room.

Xerin thought about what Svar had said, pondering on several things as well. He noted how the commander, the one leading things, was never quite as celebrated as the soldier who carried out the orders. He understood this for obvious reasons, when he was serving as a soldier and did the things he did, which eventually led him to his position as a Two-Star General, he was awarded just as much as Xej was now. Yet there was also the fact that, regardless of their rank or leadership role, aside from those who deserve the blame for mistakes they may have made, or those who were corrupt, appreciation for those who have served, have devoted their lives to serving- Needless to say, is extremely important.

Xerin got up, remembering was Svar had said, something about visiting the engine room, and decided to go there as well, having heard certain rumours about it.

_______________________________________________I am smarter than the average smartest person - Darkel

I can multitasking - Prussian

I actually was busy trying to get more gonger ale - Prussian

Also...just because you rescued a male chick and called him Kevin, doesn't mean I care. - ViperaUnion

But in retaliation, I'm going to add all your typoes to my sig. - Prussian

It's not a horror game, it's more of a pussle - Prussian

Follow the Bloody Brick Road - Prussian

Shut your skittley little mouth - Darkel

I'm actually quite humble, I just love to mess with scurbs. - Canis_dirus

Svar shook his head, standing at a neutral position facing Ambigon. "No, there wasn't much there I'm afraid." The Krathunian started, pondering over his next words as to not offend the energy being. "Though I have a couple questions for you, Ambigon. You do not have to answer these if you do not want to but I am curious to know the answers. First of all - Where are you from? What are you?"

All industrial processes within the deep underground of the world had activated, creating something unknown to the galaxy as of yet. The planet's antimatter colliding generators created intense, extreme energy, allowing for hydrogen to fuse with helium. After several hours, a miniature star was created - A power nuclear fusion reactor. During this time, a orb-like shell, made of metal that could not be altered even under intense heat, but was very effective at transferring and conducing energy, was forged. The miniature reactor was placed within this and sealed. A couple seconds later the orb was retrofitted with several mechanism devices. These were mostly energy conduits but also included shielding and dark energy generators.

At the same time, the Vrentus Primes each transferred a piece of their consciousness, through processes not yet known to the Confederacy, to the planet. There, they joined a collective of thousands of Vrentus intelligences, each separated from their mechanical bodies. Vrentusi are energy beings that can merge to create more intelligent beings when displaced from their protective sphere-like shells. This process was banned by the Primes to prevent their power from being usurped - Unless a new Supreme was being created. All of the consciousnesses merged as the energy beings did the same, creating a new being. A new intelligence.

The sphere holding the miniature star was placed within a bipedal, mechanical body ((I don't want to go too into detail with the structure of this until later)). The consciousness was transferred within the body, and it activated. The new mind created from the souls of many was then telepathically bonded with the Primes. The process was complete.

"What are you, my liege?" The Deceiver inquired as soon as the new being was brought into the communication network.

"I am the Vrentus Supreme of this epoch." A voice resounded, reverberating unnaturally. It spoke calmly, but with an air of assertive leadership and aggressiveness.

"What is your purpose?" The Protector asked, its thousand voices that would numb the minds of any organics that could hear it.

The new consciousness paused. "To lead my people to glory, and to rain fire upon all who stand in my way."

The Destroyer pondered over these words before speaking. "What, my lord, is your name?"

The voice did not pause after this, responding almost immediately. "I... I am Praedromus." It spoke. "I am the harbinger of the destruction of the Confederacy." A feeling of grim joy crept to the feelings of the Primes. It was time. Praedromus would lead their species into battle, and emerge victorious, standing on top of the skulls of many.

General Tissin presented his sword hilt first. "I am General Tissin ve Dazmir. It is an honor." He then took out the recording device. "A little while ago, I was returning from a mission I had been assigned, when I received this transmission." He played back the recording: I am the Destroyer. I will bring all who oppose the Collective to their knees.

"From there I contacted the source of the transmission and spoke with someone identifying themselves as the Vrentus Collective." He then played back his entire conversation with the Destroyer.

"I come to warn you and the rest of the Confederacy that there is a hostile force that undoubtedly desires your destruction."